12/13/1999 @ 12:00AM

Happy Hucking

The best ultimate throwers combine a meteorologist’s sense of wind patterns with a rocket scientist’s knowledge of thrust and aerodynamics. Herewith some basic terminology:

BACKHAND

The toss you picked up as a kid on the beach. Roughly equivalent to a tennis backhand, thrown across the body. Called a “pull” when thrown long and hard the length of the field to start the game. (Ultimate frisbee patriarch Joel Silver stole the term from skeet shooting.)

FLICK

Think of skipping a stone across water. Thrown out from beside the hip. May be released at knee-or ankle-height to throw under a defender’s attempted hand block. Like the short backhand, the flick is a bread-and-butter throw for moving the disc upfield, but it takes some practice to get comfortable with it.

BLADE

A near vertical flick, named for its likeness to a circular saw cutting through the air.

HAMMER

Thrown overhead like a baseball pitch. A last-ditch means of throwing past an effective defense. Sends the disc flying upside down. A beautiful but risky throw that is difficult to catch. The hammer was first envisioned by its inventor in a dream.

SCOOBER

A short-distance version of a hammer. The throw is all wrist, no arm. More precise than the hammer itself, but not for beginners.

HUCK

An extremely long, often wild Hail Mary to the end zone. Also called a “hospital pass” since a huck’s endless hang time allows numerous receivers and defenders to converge on the same spot at the same time. Considerable mayhem often ensues.

SWILL

A botched rendition of any of the above. The receivers who, by some miracle, catch them anyhow are roundly praised for “picking up garbage.” –A.M.